VIERA, Fla. — We've all been blessed so far this spring with beautiful weather, the best I can remember in the eight years the Nationals have trained here. Until today, that is. It was 75 degrees and sunny at 7 a.m. Then Mother Nature unleashed her fury on everyone, doused us with about 2 inches of rain, kicked up some fierce winds and dropped the temperature more than 20 degrees. Seriously, it was 53 degrees on the scoreboard here as Davey Johnson spoke in the dugout at 9:45 a.m.

The skies have cleared, but the wind is still blowing straight out to center field at a vicious rate. In other words, if you hit the ball into the air today, there's a reasonable chance it's going to fly over the fence.

So that's the challenge for Stephen Strasburg as he takes the mound for his first outing of the spring. This won't be nearly as big a deal as the last time the phenom toed the rubber at Space Coast Stadium (during his rookie spring in 2010). Now, it's just about getting his work in and building himself up for a possible Opening Day start at Wrigley Field (Davey Johnson says he'll make that announcement sometime next week).

Strasburg will likely go two innings today, throwing 40-45 pitches. He'll be replaced by Tom Gorzelanny, then Ryan Mattheus, Tyler Clippard, Brad Lidge and Drew Storen. Most of the regulars are in the lineup, the only exceptions being Mark DeRosa at first base and Jason Michaels and Brett Carroll manning the two corner outfield spots.

Plenty of ways to monitor today's game: Bob and F.P. are here for the TV broadcast, Charlie and Dave are back for the call on the radio, and of course I'm here with updates and analysis throughout…

I toured the new Marlins new stadium yesterday and it is a beauty. The roof was open and the view of the Miami downtown skyline is impressive. The dimensions are 344 down the foul lines, 394 to the power alleys and 418 to center field. The stadium capacity is around 37,000 and it is very intimate. In my estimation, there is not a bad seat in the Marlins' house. It a huge upgrade over the previous football field and visiting teams will like playing there. The stadium is located in a rather run down section of Little Havana but is not far from downtown Miami. The stadium appears to have ample indoor parking and it doesn't block stadium views.

Mark- I wouldnt call that a tidy inning. He was behind everyone, looked a bit rusty. But on the last batter he battled back from 3-0 and threw a just nasty change to strike him out- that was impressive!

Wow, baseball at last. Here are my observations after the 1st inning:Stras looked like he was overthrowingDesi swung at the first 6 pitches Espy looked good.Wish we replaced Carp with Dave J.They said Harper is coming in at some point for Carroll. Does anyone know if Rendon is also going to play?

Something I remember thinking last season too- Is it just me or does Stras never shake off anything from Ramos? They seem 100% locked in. Or maybe the pitches are coming in to Ramos from the dugout? I would think Stras and Ramos should be free to call their own game but I dont know. Does anyone know?

Ramos is calling pitches, and with the runner on second, SS did run through the signs twice, and then called him out to say "Fastball." So I think Ramos is calling pitches. No doubt they discussed it pregame, too.

NatsLady – it is the first game of spring, Desi is probably just looking to get some hacks, and none of it is predictive of whether he can play lead off. BUT: since I saw the AB, I feel compelled to reply to you. I am pretty sure the only reason that he took a long AB is because he fouled off 6 pitches. I am also pretty sure that he didn't take 1 pitch. Which is fine for ST, but isn't sustainable as a lead off guy. Just my two cents.

Will, I saw it in CF but it was not operational. There are two impressive aquariums full of colorful fish located at field level right behind home plate. The ball park has a great color scheme. By the way the hottest item at the team was the New Era orange cap with a big white, blue and yellow M on the front, going fo $35. The Jose Reyes shirts were big sellers too.

Anon 12:51 PM,I believe they have Lead-off #2 covered with Desmond, Espinosa, Lombardozzi, and DeRosa. Werth can also manage in the #2 spot. The big thing to watch for is whether Espinosa's wrist has improved and if he can hit consistently from the left-side. The key to the Nat's offense (as I've been saying) is getting impact left-handed hitting and that is why Davey Johnson has been filling the line up with lefties and then close-to-starting lineups early in the spring. I'm not sure you can rely on LaRoche to provide this as he has never been an impact bat. Sure, he hits for power and has had a couple of good RBI years but his bRAA is been consistently average to slightly subpar. In the end you kind of have to rely on Bryce Harper finishing his development in the majors. And left-handed hitting from the bench, from Harper, from LaRoche, from Espinosa may be the key to this offense not the silly lead-off hitter harangue.

Just relax and enjoy the game. A couple of years ago I watched a pitcher load the bases every inning during a spring game. When they asked him after the game what his problem was, he laughed and said, "I needed to work on my slide step."

Watching the game on MASN.Stras looked a bit rusty but overall not too bad.BTW, the radar gun is about 4-5mph off. Stras was clocked at 89-93, Happ at 88, Gorzo at 84, and hard throwing Sosa at 90.So at about 5mph to those numbers.

Mark… FP is saying that there may not be a 160 limit on Stras. Can you find out if that is true.Michelle, Johnson has pretty already reinforced Rizzo's edict of a 160 inning limit for Strasburg. FP is talking out of his hat, he's pretty excited about the season and the potential. One reason Johnson agreed to his role is Rizzo's unwavering commitment to his goal: build a team that wins now and into the foreseeable future. He's not building a one and one like the Marlins like to do. More like Tampa Bay. The only exception so far (and from a recent interview something he admitted) was Jayson Werth. Strasburg will get swapped out and Rizzo/Johnson will plug someone else in. Rizzo now has another potential pitching prodigy down with TJ's. He has pitchers on his staff now and in the past who have experienced mixed results with TJ. JD Martin, Sean Burnett, Atilano, and Gorzelanny sent out to pitch 200 innings with no previous experience pitching 100. You don't think it affected their futures? Hell yeah it did.The surgery and protocol with Zimmermann apparently worked. They will proceed with the same protocol with Strasburg and with Sammy Solis on that you can bank money.

In the good news department, Derosa looked pretty good. The hits are meaningless, but he looked liked he was making good swings and hit the ball sharply both time. Espy also made solid contact twice (from each side).Hoping to see Harper and Rendon soon

Wally, that was a nice catch indeed on the foul pop back toward the tarp area. In this wind, that had circus music playing all the way up. Nice tag on the little cross-up with the pitcher on a roller up the first base line, too.

Not that upset with the score or play in just our second game, but I am upset that apparently Deb Taylor has somehow entered Sunshine Bobby's body. I absolutely do not care how Matt Purke or anyone else "feels".

Rizzo just said that 'numbers have absolutely nothing to do with whether Harper breaks camp with us'. It will be when they think he's ready.Great answer, and seems impossible to think Harper actually does break camp, like many have said.

Tuned in to tv late after hearing some of the radio broadcast on my way home from the store (timing is everything). I will say that this game is going much faster than I thought it might have given earlier events.

Anyone else catch that MASN announcement that at 3:30 we'll have a disruption in coverage because the sun will cross the equator?Huh? Seems like an Angelo's conspiracy somehow. I'll bet the sun never crosses the equator when the O's are playing.

Lidge, Mattheus looked fantastic. I've liked Espi's swings so far. Didnt take Desmond long to commit two errors and suffer a pathetic strikeout. I'm going to have to join the growing army of folks that are Down on Desi. He just doesnt fit on this team.

addendum re. Mark at 2:47 and Natty at 3:18 – reason to keeping watching: it's the first Nats live baseball since last fall, and there are only so many of them on this spring (thanks, MASN suits). At least we get one tomorrow, couresty of MLB Network.

Throwing out the Gorzelanny disaster, though nearly two games it looks like we've picked right up where we left off last year–solid pitching undermined by a weak offense. Desi and Espi need to start getting on base or there's going to be a lot of frustrating games again this year.

… I haven't been able to see either of these two games, so my view is a blind one for sure. But in spite of the fact it's only been two Spring Training games, I'm starting to wonder about the laissez-faire attitude of Davey Johnson towards ST and team preparation. One might be tempted to call it over-the-top (or 'under', if that makes the image more realistic). One might be tempted to worry that the team has not prepared enough in the past two weeks as they could or should have. … but thankfully there is a whole lot more baseball to come. I'll suspend judgement for now. I'll merely say it makes me wonder.Go Davey! Go Nats!!

I'm on FIOS as well but was upstairs and don't know if I lost it (the broadcast, anyway).In other news, I really stink at this typing and watching thing. I may have to go back to commenting before or after but not during games (my game watching suffers).

Sec 3, My Sofa, I hear you too. And I'm not unaware of Spring Training and all it means. Still, if I'm a fan, and my team looks shaky (for whatever reason) I'm going to look for answers. … and I hear natsfan 1a. You're right, of course, There's plenty of time yet to hit panic buttons. I'm looking forward to the Nats hitting all my buttons – all the good ones, that is – and I still believe they're going to do that.Go Nats!!

natscan, my panic button was in re. FS' comment. Haven't gotten the hang of quoting comments when using a touchpad. After trying to type and watch, I don't know how Mark does it every game, what with watching the game, doing locker room interviews, taking pics, and posting here. Tipping my virtual cap to him.

I wouldn't call it incomprehensible. I thought I comprehended him ok, at least. I don't agree with him, but his point was that baseball is built for a longer series, and it's not fair for a 102-win team to have to play an 87-win team, and lose in a few hours everything they spent six months building up. I don't agree, but it's not a foolish argument.

That looked just plain ugly and yesterday sounded ugly. Sure it is early but not to early to confirm what we knew from last year. Ian D. is showing yet again why he is not a MLB SS and clearly not a lead off hitter…not even close there…..And CF/OF options in camp that Rizzo is so comfortable with….I do not see it….none of them including Werth are the answer in CF…so Nats will trade now from a position of weakness in the next few weeks….Bench does not look like they have any big bats they can call on and 1B….Adam L. is not healthy from surgury and not able to make a week in camp without developing a new problem ankle……Rizzo failed this winter to do what he had to do.

Agree with above poster on the very casual attitude displayed about spring training. Disclaimer – I am probably the biggest non-fan of Davey's on this site, have never,ever liked him going years back. If he brings out the best in these guys, more power to him. But, I am not encouraged by his "whatever" attitude and his penchant to go around telling stories of his past greatness as a player. He was only really a good manager in September after the call-ups. I am taking a wait and see approach. These three games don't mean anything as far as the scores go – it's still early and there is still rust. But – perhaps we shouldn't be seeing quite this much rust as a group. Maybe those shorter practices that are supposedly so popular with the players aren't really enough to prepare adequately. I hope things tighten up as these next few weeks roll on. Could DeRosa be our answer on the bench? Also like what we are seeing from Rendon.

Not me. I still think Desmond will be an average-slightly above average player at the plate and in the field. He's definitely not as bad as some people think he is.But this has been talked to death (IMO). Lets wait several more months before jumping to conclusions, I say.

score of the games mean nothing….performances do especially Ian D would has a good long track record of doing just what he is doing again…..same hold true of stop gap CF and Lead Off positions for the Nats franchise.Point is not that these two games mean anything….they do not…the fact that Rizzo refuses to admit he is wrong on "his guys" means everything. Team does not have the talent it needs at several key positions and that is not new…..it is very very old….going back over several years….this year it is still the case….Ian D has rock hands and no command of the Strike Zone and Rizzo did not get the bench and CF players we have needed for years.If you want to wait and see AGAIN….fine…your choice but the data you need is much more than two games this spring….it goes back over 10,000 AB's and 8 years for Desmond.

… one thing is for certain: spring training is not a walk in the park, nor is it supposed to be. Some of you might be hockey fans; I am a Habs fan, and they lost their season during their own training camp last September when they tried a 'different' system. It didn't work; they began the season unprepared, and after a string of about ten losses in a row, had cemented their fate…. hockey and baseball: apples and oranges. Perhaps. But one thing is for sure: professional athletes are not perfect. They perform to their highest level when they prepare to their highest level. … I'm certainly not ready to cast Davey adrift. I am right now preparing to shout high praise for him when the team gets going and shows what it is capable of. But today- admittedly after only two measly ST games – I am taking a closer look at what has gone on for the past two weeks.Go Nats!!

I do not have a problem with Davey's ST approach….good players do not need tons of work….Danny E or B Harper….Bad players do not improve at this level no matter how much work….see Nook Logan and Ian D.

JayB- Don't know if you're into stats or not but Fielding wise, Betancourt, Jeter, Hanley Ramirez, and Jose Reyes all cost their teams more runs than did Desmond. Statistically Desmond is an average fielder, nothing more or less.Obviously he may not be a great hitter overall, much less a good leadoff hitter.But I disagree with your assessment.Yet of course we all have our own opinions.It would be a very boring blog otherwise

FWIW; twice a year, around the time of the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes(Equinoxi?), the path of the sun places it close enough to directly behind each satellite on the "Clarke Arc",in turn, to overpower the output of said satellite for about 4 – 6 minutes.While annoying as it may be, the bright side is that it makes it easy to check for "line of sight " issues, for those who have or are considering their own satellite service.

Those fielding stats are not worth much UZR and UZR150……but if you want to use them fine…take a look at Ian D over the longer haul like all this MLB time……it is not good and teams to not win meaningful games when their SS has rock hands…..IAN D has Rock Hands…..not really debatable if you watch 160 games a year like I do.

Just noticed this on MLB Trade Rumors:The Orioles' Adam Jones keeps popping up in trade discussions with the Nationals, but O's sources indicate that there’s very little chance he'll be dealt. The Nats are trying to figure out center field, and for the moment they’re content with using Jayson Werth, Roger Bernadina, and Rick Ankiel. However, they will be scouting Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, Gerardo Parra, and Peter Bourjos in spring training.

By the way, I love that Mark Zuckerman posts the updates with the newest at the bottom. It means I can come and read about the game I already watched without that crazy scrolling up and down you have to do on many blogs. Thank you!

"JayB- Don't know if you're into stats or not but Fielding wise, Betancourt, Jeter, Hanley Ramirez, and Jose Reyes all cost their teams more runs than did Desmond. Statistically Desmond is an average fielder, nothing more or less."All of those guys are awful fielders who made their careers with their bats (well, except for Betancourt, who's just bad). Desmond is far below average defensively.